Shloka 8
Pitāmaha-sabhā-varṇana & Hariścandra-māhātmya
Description of Brahmā’s Assembly and the Eminence of Hariścandra
स तन्मम वच: श्रुत्वा सहस्रांशुर्दिवाकर: । प्रोवाच भरतश्रेष्ठ ब्रतं वर्षमहस्रिकम्,भरतश्रेष्ठ! मेरी वह बात सुनकर सहस्रों किरणोंवाले भगवान् दिवाकरने कहा--“तुम एकाग्रचित्त होकर ब्रह्माजीके व्रतका पालन करो। वह श्रेष्ठ व्रत एक हजार वर्षोमें पूर्ण होगा।' तब मैंने हिमालयके शिखरपर आकर उस महान् व्रतका अनुष्ठान आरम्भ कर दिया
sa tan mama vacaḥ śrutvā sahasrāṃśur divākaraḥ | provāca bharataśreṣṭha vrataṃ varṣa-sahasrikam ||
Nārada said: “Hearing these words of mine, the Sun—Divākara, the thousand-rayed one—addressed me: ‘O best of the Bharatas, undertake with single-pointed mind the vow connected with Brahmā. That excellent observance will be completed in a thousand years.’ Thereupon I went to the summit of the Himālaya and began the performance of that great vow.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined, single-pointed commitment to a sacred vow (vrata) as a path of spiritual accomplishment, emphasizing endurance and focused mind (ekāgratā) under divine guidance.
Nārada reports that the Sun-god (Divākara) responds to his words by prescribing a Brahmā-related vow to be completed over a thousand years; Nārada then goes to the Himālaya’s summit and begins the vow’s rigorous observance.